Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck Named 16th Most Influential Person in NFL By The MMQB

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The MMQB released its annual Top 100 Most Influential People and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck once again appeared high in the rankings.

According to The MMQB, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is the 16th most influential person in the NFL, dropping four sports from his ranking last year:

“It’s not very often that a QB finishes the season with the league’s 32nd-ranked passer rating and then gets a raise. An eight-figure raise, no less. But believing Andrew Luck’s troubles in 2015 were an aberration, the Colts were happy to lock up their soon-to-be 27-year-old face of the franchise for the next six years. They were also happy to spend their first-round pick on Alabama center Ryan Kelly in order to shore up a putrid interior O-line that allowed Luck to endure far too many body blows last season. If Luck can put his fourth NFL season behind him and get back on the track that he established during his first three years in the league, the Colts will have a top-five quarterback and again be Super Bowl contenders. If Luck can’t, you can write-off this team.”

It’s true that this is a rebound season for Luck, who threw just 15 touchdowns to 12 interceptions last season, as well a career passer rating low of 74.9–while missing 9 games because of injuries.

Sep 11, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) looks on in the first half against the Detroit Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

However, the star quarterback is so far off to a great start this season, throwing for 4 touchdowns to 0 interceptions in addition to 385 total passing yards and a passer rating of 119.5 in his debut against the Detroit Lions this past weekend.

Coming off a disappointing season and with his freshly inked highest paid contract in NFL history now behind him–which was a much anticipated benchmark for all future mega-contracts, it makes sense as to why Luck may not be nearly as “influential” to begin this season.

That being said, he remains one of the top young quarterbacks in football and along with the likes of the Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson and Carolina Panthers Cam Newton, should be a staple of the Top 10 of this list going forward.

It’s worth noting that another (former) Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning–who was listed as a “private citizen“, appeared at #79 in the rankings despite having recently retired from the game of football all together:

Jun 6, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (L) looks on as retired Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (2L) presents President Barack Obama (M) a team autographed Broncos helmet at a ceremony honoring the NFL Super Bowl Champion Broncos in the Rose Garden at The White House. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

“There’s a cottage industry out there, and it centers around this question: WWPD? What will Peyton do? Some friends thought he’d take a TV job for a year, just to see if he’d like that. Some think he’ll be the next Elway, taking a job running a front office. Some think he’ll sit back this year and just do nothing, plotting for the future. One thing we’re pretty sure of: He’ll pitch a lot of products during NFL games, and we’ll be sick of the spots by about week three.”

As one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL and an engaging, larger than life personality to accompany his “Hall of Fame game”, it’s just a matter of what Manning will do next–having always been featured in mainstream media commercials already.